


a tiny christmas tree

by natigail



Series: Phan Reality One Shots [18]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2020!Phan, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Forever Home, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28051188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natigail/pseuds/natigail
Summary: Prompt: Anyways i hope dnp are going to plant their tiny Christmas tree at their forever home and let it grow for 30 years - @deadandphilgames on tumblrWhat do you get when you combine companions through life, yearning for a forever home and Christmas all around them? You get Phil making an impulsive purchase.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: Phan Reality One Shots [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/788379
Comments: 18
Kudos: 69





	a tiny christmas tree

It started with an impulsive purchase.

No, that’s not quite right.

It started with an idea.

A silly and impulsive idea but an idea just the same. Phil had been out shopping and he had just… stumbled across it.

Okay, maybe he had been in the garden centre with the explicit purpose to look for something like that, but he was never going to admit that to anyone. He was already mulling over his words on how to recount the story to Dan later.

_No, I just so happened upon it. Fate, isn’t it?_

Phil chuckled to himself because the was another silly thing. Dan would see right through him. He would take one look at Phil and the purchase and he would see through any flimsy half-disguised truth that Phil might come up with. Dan might even know before Phil walked through the front door.

Dan had an extra sense for sniffing out Phil’s behaviour. It was a deeply honed sense, after years and years of sharing a home and a bed and entirely too many words and touches to count.

They had been through three shared homes already and they had grown so much, even if Phil sometimes swore that him and Dan were still the young people who had met up on Manchester station for the first time one fated October afternoon.

Now they were about to make the transfer to their fourth home. Phil was giddy with excitement whenever he thought about it. He loved all of their past homes for all the memories they made and the time they spend together but there was something about the concept of owning something.

Of having it be _theirs_ in every sense of the word.

Dan was sick and tired of renting, in part because he felt like it was a waste of money but Phil also knew that he had deeper reasons than that. Dan had always craved a home, ever since him and Phil had met each other.

They had become each other’s homes, almost from the very beginning and Phil would still choose to be in Dan’s arms or look into his eyes, over any house or flat.

Still, it would be nice to have a home that they planned to stay in until they were grey. Phil got a smile on his face at the thought of him and Dan, old and frail but still with quick words, banter flowing like it would have at decades at that point. He was almost so distracted that he walked into the wall outside of their apartment building, smashing the new purchase against his chest.

At least it was rather sturdy. Phil still whispered a word of apology to it.

Dan would have called him silly for it, or gone on a long rant about how while it was a living thing, it couldn’t _understand_. But he would drop the topic with a stern look from Phil and insistence that the talking helped. Dan would then mumble something under his breath about the chemicals in Phil’s breath being the beneficial thing rather than the words themselves.

Phil fumbled with his key, only one hand free but he refused to call up to the flat and get Dan to let him in. It would ruin the small element of surprise that Phil might achieve.

The elevator moved slow, creaking more than normal and as usual Phil had a moment of fear whether it would give up and get him stuck. He really couldn’t wait to be out of this place. It had served them well, and brought about many firsts but he was still feeling ready for a new home.

He was only a little sad that Steve and Scraggy wouldn’t be able to come. He might have spent upwards of an hour trying to find the answer to how you got pigeons you regularly fed to come visit you in your new home. None of the answers had been helpful.

At least Norman would come, in his little tank that Dan had decorated so carefully. And maybe he wouldn’t be their only pet for very long. Phil smiled at the thought of the sound of paws coming running towards him as he pushed open the front door.

A dog had always been the plan.

Inevitable but now closer than ever.

Dan didn’t come to out to greet Phil which probably meant that he was knee-deep in going over edits for his book. He had been carefully reviewing the edits that he had gotten back on his first draft.

Dan had approached his book even more seriously than he usually did his projects, which was saying something. He really wanted it to be comforting but also helpful. It was interesting to see how he was confident some days but full of doubt on others.

On the former, Phil made sure to likewise hype him up and, on the latter, Phil would make him feel better and remind him what he was capable of.

“Honey, I’m home,” Phil called out gleefully and a little too loud. He wasn’t sure if Dan would play along if he was actually working but only a couple of seconds passed before Phil heard a soft thud from the living room and Dan came running out.

He almost slid across the floor on his socks, and Phil bit into his lip to fight off the laughter that wanted to come out.

“My husband has finally returned,” Dan said, just as loudly and as melodramatic as Phil had called out before.

A jolt went through Phil. Dan had taken quite the delight in calling Phil his husband lately. Heck it had even made it into one of his interviews even if it had been disguised among other definitions so that only really their viewers paid proper attention to it.

“Am I going to get a kiss then?” Phil asked, struggling to shrug his coat off with his arm still around the new addition to their flat.

Dan stepped closer but he was eying Phil a little suspiciously. Or rather, he was eyeing the item in Phil’s hand, hidden behind brown paper.

“Depends,” Dan said but came up closer and helped Phil free the arm that he had gotten stuck in his sleeve. “What did you buy this time?”

“Something cute,” Phil said honestly, and then leaned in a little closer.

His own cheeks felt flushed from the cold and he wanted to nuzzle into Dan’s warmth. He always managed to hold onto his warmth so well and Phil loved melting against him.

Dan rolled his eyes at seeing how Phil was leaning in closer. He pulled the coat off Phil and hung it behind him before he turned back and pulled Phil in. Warm and steady hands on Phil’s rosy cheeks and soft lips pecking against his own. A greeting, warm and familiar. If Phil had been a dog, he would have been wagging his tail, he felt so contented.

“There you go, you needy fuck,” Dan said affectionately. “Now what did you buy? Or is it a gift.”

“It is a gift,” Phil said and handed it over to Dan before he bend down to remove his shoes.

“Wait, weren’t you supposed to be grocery shopping? Phil, we have no more food,” Dan said.

“We’ll order something and I’ll go tomorrow instead,” Phil said, waving him off. It was fine. They could last another day. They could get a takeaway and Phil knew that Dan also had sweets stashed away from Phil’s grabby hands if they wanted some treats.

Dan pulled slightly on the paper but not enough to remove it. He shifted it in his hands, feeling out the pot.

“You bought another plant,” Dan said, eyes narrowed. “Now? We already have so many things to move.”

“This is special,” Phil insisted, and grabbed Dan by the arm and pulled him back into the lounge with steady steps. Dan followed behind pliantly.

“How? It is of plastic? We don’t need another dead houseplant,” Dan said, nudging Phil’s arm and wiggling his eyebrows.

“Hey! I’ve gotten better,” Phil said, defending himself. “And no, it’s not.”

Dan let out a snort but he was nice not to mention that half the time, Dan was the one who remembered to water all the house plants that Phil dragged into their homes.

“It’s going to go here,” Phil said, and pulled out some of the books they had stored in their little whole in the wall.

They had entirely too many copies of their own books but they couldn’t bring themselves to part with all of them. Some of them were early proofs that they were just too sentimental to too and they had some in other languages as well. Phil couldn’t wait until they would have endless copies of Dan’s new book lying all over the place.

He was so excited to properly read it. So far, Dan had only showed him sections of it, half or whole chapters and everything Phil had read so far had been great. He was already so proud of Dan and he wasn’t even done perfecting it.

“Okay?” Dan asked, sounding a little unsure. He was still holding onto it a little carefully like he was scared that it would come apart in his hands.

“Give it here,” Phil said, reaching out to take it and he put it down in the little hole in the wall before he started to peel away the paper.

The cashier had looked rather confused that Phil had insisted that it should be wrapped entirely so you couldn’t see what it was, but now it was worth it to see Dan’s eyes light up, crinkling before they turned soft.

“You bought a Christmas tree,” Dan said. “The tiniest tree that I ever did see. Wait, did you say that it’s real?”

“It is real,” Phil said, “touch it.”

Dan approached the tree like he would a very young puppy. Phil had been lucky enough to see that a couple of times with their Make-A-Wish excursions. More than one of their viewers had wished for Dan and Phil and puppies. It was a combination that Phil could get behind.

“It came with the lights?” Dan asked, reaching out for the delicate fairy lights enveloping it.

“Nope, I got them to put it on first,” Phil said. The cashier had been really confused when Phil had asked if he could open the pack of fairy lights right there in the store. “Cute, isn’t it?”

He reached around Dan, who had now moved onto feeling the branches and the tiny pine needles, and moved to find the wire to connect it to the power outlet within the little hole. They hadn’t used it much, having just had books stacked up but it was perfect for a lamp.

Or a tiny Christmas tree.

“You know, we already have our old tree,” Dan said, hands gently stoking over the pines like he couldn’t get his hand to pull away. Phil didn’t blame him; the tree was tiny and young and everything about it seemed so soft. “The fold out one? And if you wanted a real one, we could have had it delivered like usual.”

“Oh, I still want that,” Phil said insistent.

“You’re going to order from the kilt place again, aren’t you?”

“It’s tradition,” Phil said.

“Phil, you’ll just be disappointed if they don’t show up in a kilt,” Dan reminded him.

“I’ll just get a kilt for you then,” Phil said and reached over to poke Dan’s nose. He smiled, dimples showing in his cheeks, and it was the easiest thing to let his finger drift to Dan’s cheek, poking the deep dimple.

Under the touch, Dan’s smile widened purposefully, in a way that brought his dimple out the most. Phil chuckled and smiled right back at Dan.

“Why did you buy it?” Dan asked, looking back at the tiny Christmas tree once more.

“Would you believe me if I said I just happened to stumble upon it?”

“No way in hell.”

Phil let out a snort. “I didn’t think so.”

“So?”

“I just… it’s kind of sappy, you know,” Phil said, prefacing it even though he knew Dan didn’t mind sappy, as he could get quite sappy himself. “I read somewhere about someone saying that their parents bought a tiny Christmas tree the year that they moved into their first house together. And then after December was over, they planted it in their new garden! It’s still there, after, like, 30 years. Over ten metres tall! Can you believe that? Like such a tiny thing, just slowly growing bit by bit every year until it’s a huge tree!”

Phil was lost in his story and the emotions that had started to spread in his chest as he had read the story. He had wanted that with Dan. It was something silly and impulsive but he wanted it so bad that he had completely forgone the grocery store and headed right out to find one.

Dan finally pulled his hand away from the tiny Christmas tree but only so he could turn and face Phil properly.

“You…” Dan said, or perhaps it was more like an exhale of breath. “For us?” he asked, voice quieter now.

“Of course, for us!” Phil said, and he could swear that his ears were getting a little warm. He had nothing to be embarrassed about, he knew that Dan would never tell him off for doing anything but this felt like a vulnerable moment all the same.

They shared _I love you_ s on the daily and they had planned to spend forever together for a long time. Years and years of being in love and building a home and a world together. It wasn’t anything new but it was a tangible thing.

A confession that Phil wanted to be able to look out into the garden of their new forever home and see something grow a little bigger and a little stronger with each passing year. Just like their love had done and would continue to do.

“I can’t believe you,” Dan said, shaking his head and it almost looked like he had gotten a little teary-eyed. His emotions were catching up to him and so were Phil’s. They had always been on the same wavelength.

“Yes, you can,” Phil said gleefully, and smiling happily.

“You have my crying over a tiny Christmas tree!” Dan complained, wiping at his left eye.

It was about more than this. It wasn’t about the tree. It was about what the tree meant but Phil didn’t call Dan out.

“There are worse things to cry about,” Phil said gently, and then he reached out for Dan as the urge to keep him close became too overwhelming and he had to give in. He guided Dan towards his own chest, hands steady on the nape of Dan’s neck. Dan nuzzled into Phil’s throat and pressed closer, arms coming around in a loose hold.

“I hate you,” Dan said against Phil’s skin.

“Nope, try again.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Wrong again.”

Dan started to genuinely giggle and the arms around Phil’s waist became tighter, and Phil tightened his own hold in return. He looked over at the little Christmas tree, trying to take in the size. He wanted to be able to look back at this moment years down the line when he’d look out at his huge Christmas tree in the garden. He’d be holding his morning cup and coffee and be able to walk over and ruffle Dan’s morning hair. He could see it so clearly.

He could feel Dan clearly right now, hugging and holding Phil just because he was suddenly overwhelmed by too many emotions.

“You like it, right?” Phil asked as the quiet settled in the warmth of their home.

“Of course, I love it,” Dan said, pulling back from Phil’s neck so that he could look Phil in the eye. “I love you. You’re amazing.”

“Well, it is my brand,” Phil said with a cheeky smile.

Dan hit him in the arm, hard enough that he could feel it but not enough that it hurt at all. Then Dan looked over at the tiny Christmas tree again and then back at Phil.

“Does that mean you want to have thirty years with me and the tree in our forever home?” Dan asked.

“No,” Phil said.

It was a testament to how well they knew each other and how secure they were in their relationship that Dan’s eyes didn’t show any sign of distress or doubt at Phil’s clear refusal but then again, why would he? He knew what was coming.

“I want like 70 years with you,” Phil said, tightening his arms around Dan. “At the very least.”

Dan chuckled heartily and reached out to squeeze Phil’s hip. Another quick look over at the tree and then back until he found Phil’s eyes. Held his gaze.

“I think we can manage that,” Dan said. “Or we can give it our very best try. Even if living to 100 sounds a little rough.”

“Oh, we’re just going to get our brains implemented into a computer when we get up there.”

“Right, of course,” Dan said and then he shifted a little in Phil’s arms so that he could lean his head on Phil’s shoulder. Dan had just a smidgen of height on Phil and he definitely had to hunch down a lot to rest on Phil’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind.

The little tree looked like it fit right in, just like the space was made for it. But it would only be its first home. Soon, they would be moving and then they would take it along to its real home.

A forever home.

Phil honestly couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](https://secretlywritingstories.tumblr.com/post/637410583544840192/a-tiny-christmas-tree-phan-one-shot)
> 
> Written very fast because inspiration came and struck me in the head. I hope DnP get into that forever home soon and I love their tiny Christmas tree very much. I hope you liked it! It was really fun to write, it's been a while since I've just sat down and written and posted a one shot within a couple hours.


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